Seven-Lin Verse: Hongdu［！］
(1965)
Another year has passed since I arrived in Hongdu;
General Zu’s drumbeat still echoes today.
For ages I’ve heard the rooster’s cry beneath the southern sky,
And once upon a time I brandished my whip across the northern lands.
Snow-white hairs have flown in like waste drifting away,
While colorful clouds linger, heralding new days ahead.
Year after year, each wave pushes forward the one before it;
By riverbanks, grasses and flowers bloom fresh everywhere.
[1]
Hongdu is an alternative name for the former Nanchang Prefecture. During the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, Nanchang served as the seat of Hongzhou and was regarded as a major metropolis in the southeast, hence its name. Here it refers to Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province.
[2]
Zu Sheng Ji Bo—“Zu Sheng beating the oars”—refers to the renowned Eastern Jin general Zu Ti. In 304 AD, Liu Yuan of the Xiongnu tribe established the Han state in the Yellow River basin, plunging the Central Plains into chaos. Zu Ti led several hundred families loyal to him to defend Jiankang (present-day Nanjing) under Emperor Yuan of Jin, Sima Rui. In 313, Zu Ti petitioned for permission to launch a northern expedition and was appointed General Who Inspires Valor and Governor of Yu Province. Leading over a hundred households, he crossed the Yangtze River northward, striking his oars midstream and vowing to reclaim the Central Plains. “Ji bo,” or beating the oars, later came to symbolize lofty patriotic aspirations and indomitable spirit.
[3]
Wen ji—“hearing the rooster”—here alludes to the story of dancing at cockcrow. According to the Biography of Zu Ti in the Book of Jin: “He and Minister Liu Jfr were both junior secretaries of the Ministry of Personnel, enjoying a close friendship and sharing quarters together. One night, when the wild rooster crowed in the middle of the night, Zu Ti awoke and said, ‘This is no evil sound.’ Then he rose and began to dance.” Both Zu Ti and Liu Long harbored great ambitions in their youth and encouraged each other to remain vigorous; thus, upon hearing the rooster’s call, they would rise and practice swordplay. Later, “dancing at cockcrow” became a metaphor for dedicated individuals rising up to take action.